Kit Stansley

It never hurts to be prepared, and while you never know what challenges might arise in a house, it's good to have the tools on hand to deal with any basic updates or repairs. Here are the tools you should consider having on hand for basic plumbing work.

A "basic toolbox" for a homeowner might consist of dozens of tools, depending on what type of projects you might tackle. A good idea is to break down basic tools by task—plumbing, electrical, painting, drywall, etc.—then, based on the type of work you anticipate in your home, you can determine what tools are most important to have on hand. These are the tools I would recommend for basic plumbing work.

Basic Plumbing Tools

These tools are the essentials for any homeowner. While you won't be able to solve every plumbing issue with them, you will be able to cover the basics: changing a faucet, installing a new sink, or changing a shower head.

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Locking pliers: I would recommend these over an adjustable wrench, though in most cases they'll do the same job. I feel like I get more overall use out of my channel locks.

Needle-nose pliers: It's always good to have a pair of these on hand for tight spots and detail work. They can help you grasp on to the smallest parts.

Plumbers tape: This is also known as "teflon tape," and it's always good to have a roll in your toolbox. Teflon tape is great for ensuring a good seal on threaded pipes (on faucet supply lines and showerheads, for example.)

Plumbers putty: Often used for creating a water-resistant seal on un-pressured joints like sink drains.

Basin wrench: This wrench is designed to work in hard-to-reach spaces under a sink.

Caulk and caulk gun: There are plenty of reasons to keep caulk around the house, installing ceramic sinks and repairing seams in showers are just a few.

While these tools will cover many basics projects, if you think you might be doing more advanced plumbing work, the type of tools you need will depend on the materials used in your house.

Tools for Copper Piping

Soldering pipes can be a little intimidating (it's usually the torch that gets people) but it's a fairly easy process if you have the right tools and understand the principles. As outlined in the video above, some of the tools you might want to keep on hand for copper work include:

Tubing cutter

Propane torch

Fitting brush or emery paper

Flux (and brushes)

Solder

Copper fittings

If you have copper piping in your home but are hesitant to solder joints, here's another option that requires specialized tools and fittings:

Tools for PEX Tubing

PEX is a more recent plumbing material. It's easy to work with, if you have the right tools. The above video explains a few different ways to work with this type of plastic tubing.

Tools for CPVC

These guys have a few tools and techniques for working with CPVC. While newer homes use PEX, you may see CPVC on homes built or remodeled ten or so years ago.

Working with Galvanized Pipe

Your house may also have galvanized pipes as a part of your plumbing system. Galvanized pipes were popular before 1960 and are usually connected with threaded fittings. Repairs or remodels done more recently might have copper pipes joined to galvanized (which creates problems down the road due to the reactions between the metals.) Galvanized pipes tend to have corrosion and build-up inside the lines, and while it doesn't hurt to consider replacing galvanized pipe with more recent materials, this guide may help you in working with or repairing them.

As always, the tools you need will depend on the particular project you'd like to complete, but it never hurts to have the basics on hand. What plumbing tools do you keep in your toolbox?